I don't want a lot I want just enough
 So why has it got to be so damn TOUGH


 Livin' on the uptown side of jive
 Hustlin' a buck to stay alive
 Lookin' for a ten and they give your five
 Well it's tough
 You talk to the boss the boss is gruff
 You ask for a raise and they call your bluff
 You may get some but it's never enough
 Because it's tough

 STRONG:Like a magnum force
 ROUGH:Like a new divorce
 MEAN:Like a three-time loser
 BAD:Like an L.A. cruiser
 DOWN:Like a limousine
 BLIND:Like a submarine
 HARD:Like cold concrete
 TOUGH:That's the rhythm of the beat

 You hit the street and you look for work
 You don't want to be some welfare jerk
 But I wonder how you get to be Captain Kirk
 It's tough
 Now Kirk has a ship called the Enterprise
 He cuts the aliens down to size
 But I wonder what he'd do with the uptown guys
 They're tough

 TOUGH:
 Try to get some cash
 When you're looking for a raise and they give you trash

 ROUGH:
 When you got it like that
 And your woman's running 'round with a baseball bat

 HARD:
 Try to play it cool when the girl's all know you're an out of work fool

 TOUGH:
 How it seems to be,wish I had somebody lookin' out for me

 Try to find a lover if you dare
 Even if you do she just won't care
 Well no one ever said that that life is fair
 Because it's tough
 Saw a fine young lady the other day
 I started my rap,I had a lot to say
 But she said she was goin' with a C.P.A.
 Now it's tough

 STRONG:Like a superhero
 ROUGH:Like a bank book zero
 MEAN:Like the Oakland Raiders
 BAD:Like the Caped Crusaders
 DOWN:Like a homerun ball
 BLIND:Like an umpire's call
 HARD:Like a cruel deceit
 TOUGH:That's the rhythm of the beat

 You worked all year to buy a brand new car
 A Coupe de Ville or a Jaguar
 But you didn't make enough for a good cigar
 Because it's tough
 So you went to the bank to try to get a loan
 But the guy behind the desk had a heart os stone
 He said "You don't need a car,use the telephone!"
 It's tough

 TOUGH:
 It's a way of life,lost your job
 Your money,but not your wife

 ROUGH:
 Gettin' in the black,Uncle Sam's in your pocket
 And your woman's on your back

 HARD:
 That's the deal,had to get a loan just to buy a meal

 TOUGH:
 That's how it goes,when it's gettin' better,nobody knows

 STRONG:Like Chocolate Thunder
 ROUGH:Like Stevie Wonder
 MEAN:Like Brucie The Shark
 BAD:Like the Raider's Ark
 DOWN:Like Sugar's Glove
 BLIND:Like a man in love
 HARD:Like a big defeat
 TOUGH:That's the rhythm of the beat

 TOUGH:That's the word,unemployment is all I heard
 ROUGH:When you start your day,watch the finance man tow your car away
 HARD:To hold a job when you've been replaced by a little blue knob
 TOUGH:Like a dollar steak,ain't someone ever gonna give me a break

 Tough.